


Insomnia

by destihecker



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M, Schmoop, Sharing a Bed, this is even more ridiculous than the last fic i posted
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-16
Updated: 2015-03-16
Packaged: 2018-03-18 03:22:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3554162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/destihecker/pseuds/destihecker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel has trouble sleeping. His first instinct is to go to his best friend for help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Insomnia

**Author's Note:**

> i actually wrote this in december as a secret santa gift. it's just absolute fluff and devoid of any real plot. enjoy

Dean’s eyes flickered open. He groaned, turning to face his bedside clock: just past two o’ clock. In the morning.

Yet, for whatever reason, there was a knock at his bedroom door. A quick, incessant, and almost frantic knocking. Dean began to sit up in bed as he managed to croak, “What?”

The knocking came to a halt. A moment of silence passed before the door started to budge open. After what was likely an eon, Dean could see Castiel fully on the opposite side.

“I’m sorry,” Dean’s roommate said immediately, voice hoarse. “But I’ve been having trouble sleeping. I didn’t want to bother you. I tried meditating first, as well as reading. I even-”

“Dude,” Dean said with a slight chuckle. He rubbed his eyes. “It’s okay. Don’t need the full five pages typed. You have any idea why you’re having trouble sleeping? That’s probably a great place to start. Anything I can help with?”

There was another beat of silence.

“Yes,” Castiel said slowly. “I suppose there is. I just have… one thing I need to ask you first.”

“Shoot.”

Castiel averted his eyes, turning his gaze to the floor. He let out a heavy sigh. “I was wondering, possibly, if I could try to sleep in your room for the night.”

Before Dean even had an opportunity to respond, Castiel amended, “On the floor. I can bring in a blanket and pillow. I should be fine.” He smiled weakly, but ran a hand through his already tousled hair. Dean could pick up on Castiel’s nervousness with the lowest level of effort.

“Cas,” Dean said. “You’re not gonna sleep on the floor. C’mere.” He adjusted himself so that he was sitting on the far side of his bed. Dean patted the open space beside him, smiling up at his friend.

Castiel was silent, still standing beneath the doorframe.The only noticeable change was his widened eyes.

Dean looked off to the side for a moment, before turning back to face Castiel. “I mean it, man. If you’re gonna sleep in here, I’m not going to make sleep even worse for you by letting you hit the sack on a wood floor.” Dean paused to shrug. “I just don’t want you to be uncomfortable, okay? Now c’mon.”

Castiel smiled, albeit tentatively. He took a few sluggish steps over toward Dean before stopping. “Are you sure you’re comfortable with this?”

Dean sighed. “Dude, of course. Trust me. You’re my best friend - nothing awkward about sharing a bed. Seriously, though, c’mon. I have class early tomorrow morning.”

Castiel nodded quickly and made his way over toward the bed. He clambered in beside Dean.

Before even taking the time to lay down, Castiel pulled a cell phone out of his sweatpants pocket.

Dean leaned back against the headboard. “Whatcha up to?”

“Setting my alarm,” Castiel replied. “I forgot to earlier, so I suppose I’m thankful I didn’t fall asleep. Also, I don’t have class until later, remember? So I can’t rely on you to wake me up.”

“Oh, yeah. Lucky bastard.”

Castiel laughed gently as he placed his phone next to the pillow behind him.

Dean began to lay down, Castiel following suit.

“So,” Dean said, facing his friend. “You didn’t answer my first question.”

Castiel opened his eyes. “What?”

“My first question. Listen, you don’t have to answer. I was just wondering why you’re having trouble sleeping.”

Castiel broke the brief eye contact he had had with Dean. “Oh,” he muttered. “I don’t mind answering. I was having nightmares.”

Dean didn’t ask anymore questions - mainly because he was too tired to muster up another thought.

The next day was typical between the pair. Each went to classes and work, and went about their daily routines. Castiel refrained from mentioning that he had woken up that morning with his arm thrown over Dean. Dean refrained from mentioning that he had been awake to notice.

That night, Dean was about to lay down to sleep when there was a knock at his door. A calmer knocking than what he had heard previously.

“Come in,” he called.

The door opened steadily, until a man with dark brown hair was revealed on the other side.

“Hey, Cas,” Dean said as he continued to climb into bed. “Need anything?”

“Yes,” Castiel said calmly. “I noticed that… that last night I seemed to sleep significantly better in here than in my own room.” He paused. “And I have a headache.”

Dean nodded, sitting up in bed now. “So you think it’ll help if you sleep in here again.”

“If it’s not a problem. I could always-”

“It’s fine,” Dean said with a smile. “Just don’t forget to set your alarm, okay?”

Castiel chuckled as he stepped into the room. “It’s already set.”

That’s how it all begun.

~~~

Every night an excuse came in:

“I have a headache again.”

“I spilled tea on my bed.”

“My room is cold. I don’t think the heater’s working.”

That was until, of course, the excuses stopped. Each night, Castiel would wander silently into Dean’s room, typically after his roommate was in bed. He would lay down beside Dean, sometimes in the early morning following a night of studying. Thankfully, Dean didn’t stay up late studying particularly often, so Castiel wasn’t forced to wait for him before going to sleep. Not that Castiel _needed_ Dean in order to sleep.

The first time Castiel wandered into the Dean’s room before his roommate was in bed was on the eleventh night. Dean sat at his desk on the opposite side of the room. He didn’t join Castiel until a bit before two o’ clock in the morning, making his way across the compact room. Castiel had stayed up as well, turning a bit in bed - he’d partially convinced himself that this had absolutely nothing to do with his friend.

Castiel, eyes closed, could hear Dean lay down beside him. The room was quiet for just a moment.

“Any reason you’re still awake?” Dean asked.

Castiel opened his eyes to see Dean facing him, concern evident in his roommate’s features.

“How could you tell?” Castiel murmured.

Dean smiled slightly. “Just took a guess. I could hear you thrashin’ around.”

“Oh.”

“So, what? Just having trouble sleeping?” Dean said.

Castiel had to ponder for a moment. “I suppose so,” he said softly. “I’m not sure why. I’ll just… continue trying. I’ll fall asleep eventually.” He offered a small smile.

“Okay,” Dean responded. “Listen, if you have any trouble sleeping, feel free to wake me up. Got it?”

Castiel’s smile widened. “Okay, I’ll be sure to let you know.”

“Good. ‘Night, Cas.”

“Goodnight, Dean.”

Surprisingly enough, Castiel didn’t have any trouble sleeping for the rest of the night.

~~~

Neither quite understood how the cuddling started. Although, neither would dare call it “cuddling.”

Castiel fell into bed one night after a long round of studying. Dean was already asleep beside him.

Two hours lept by. Castiel spent that time laying in bed, alternating between trying to get comfortable and laying on his back, staring at the ceiling.

“Dean,” Castiel said, gently shaking the form beside him. “Dean, wake up.”

Initially, the only response Castiel received was a drawn-out grunt.

Castiel sighed, prepared to admit defeat. That was until Dean turned to face him, eyes open.

“Something wrong, Cas?” Dean asked before yawning.

Castiel was quiet for a moment. “I was having trouble sleeping. I… I probably shouldn’t have woken you. It’s just that you said-”

Dean shook his head, propped on his elbow now. “Hey, I’m the one who said you could wake me up. Anything you need? Somethin’ specific?”

Castiel paused. “I’m not entirely sure,” he said. “Maybe if we talked for a bit… that might help. I’m sorry.”

Dean chuckled. “Dude, I already told you, it’s alright. So you just want to talk? About anything?”

“Yes. I guess so, I mean.”

Dean nodded. “Sounds good. So, how’s school been going? I already know the basics, ‘course, but feel free to fill me in on any details.”

So that’s what they spent the next forty-five minutes discussing. Castiel learned that, apparently, he could go on about grades and his professors for a while.

“Think you’re ready to try sleeping again?” Dean interjected.

“I think so, yes,” Castiel said with a smile.

The pair lay in bed silently for just twenty minutes.

“Dean?”

“Mm,” Dean hummed drowsily. “Yeah, Cas?”

“I still can’t sleep.”

Dean shifted to his side, facing Castiel. “Okay. So talking didn’t work. Anything else you can think of?”

“Not really,” Castiel muttered.

Dean pouted a bit, thinking. “How about,” he said. “We take the nostalgic route. What’d your parents do when you were a kid? Might lead us somewhere.”

“Oh,” Castiel said. “Well, my mother was typically the one to comfort me after nightmares - that was usually the only time I would come to my parents for help sleeping. My mom would climb into bed with me and hold me until I fell asleep. Of course, that was when I was extremely young. I stopped asking for help soon after. I’m sorry if none of this is helpful.”

Dean’s face lit up. “Hey, no, that’s actually pretty freakin’ helpful. We could try it out.”

Castiel’s expression remained blank. “Try it out?” he murmured.

“I mean, if that’s okay with you,” Dean said, chuckling gently. His face was flushed. “Y’know, just… tryin’ it out. Here-”

Dean slung his arm around Castiel, pulling his friend in closer. Castiel complied silently, eventually nestling his head beneath Dean’s chin.

“Good?” Dean asked.

“Good,” Castiel replied, voice faint.

“Great. ‘Night, Cas.”

~~~

From there, a routine was formed. Well, a new routine: Castiel continued to join Dean each night in bed, his own room long since neglected. Now, however, Castiel found himself nestled against Dean, whether he was having trouble sleeping or not. Initially, it took Dean to pull Castiel into any kind of embrace.

Eventually, Castiel was heading to bed and settling into his roommate without a word of encouragement.

One night, at least a month after his first session of… “physical therapy” with Dean, Castiel had his first night of sparse sleep. He lay awake, barely managing to reach for his cell phone against Dean’s embrace. The time was three twenty-seven in the morning. Castiel had yet to find a minute of sleep.

He let out a heavy sigh and nudged Dean in the shoulder twice. “Dean,” Castiel said. “Dean.”

Dean moaned softly as his eyes opened halfway. “What’s up, Cas?”

“I understand it’s been awhile,” Castiel started slowly. “But I… I can’t sleep. I’ve been trying for hours.” He heaved another sigh.

“Any reason?” Dean mumbled, face just inches from Castiel’s.

“Not that I know of,” Castiel said. “It may just be stress.”

Dean’s eyes were fully open now, and staring directly into Castiel’s own. “Anything you try in the past work?”

“Not really. I have tried a lot before. Maybe I should just continue trying to sleep. I’m sorry, I really shouldn’t have bothered you.”

Dean laughed lightly. “Dude, you’re still apologizing? I told you, it’s fine. We’re gonna figure this out.” He paused. “So this whole… thing we’ve got going on. It’s not workin’ anymore?”

Castiel swore he could see what looked like distress in Dean’s eyes, despite the dimly lit room. “No,” Castiel said. “I’m sure our… “thing” will continue to work. Tonight is an outlier, probably.”

Dean grinned. “Great. Trust me, it’s awesome that you think tonight is just an exception. I mean, um, since you need your sleep.”

“Yes,” Castiel said softly. “It’s good.”

The room went quiet. Neither man averted eye contact, however.

“Cas?”

“Yes, Dean?”

“I’ve actually had an idea,” Dean said. “It’s sorta experimental, but it’s something.” He chuckled weakly.

“You really don’t need to-”

“Cas. How many times do I have to say it? It’s fine, man. Completely and totally fine,” Dean said, smiling.

“Okay,” Castiel replied. “What is your idea, then?”

Dean shifted a bit. “Well,” he said. “I was thinkin’ that since this whole physical contact thing seems to work so well for you…” He trailed off, suddenly losing eye contact for a moment. “Here, you’re gonna think this is ridiculous, but…” Dean trailed off again.

This time, however, he reached a hand upward to cup Castiel’s cheek. Castiel froze immediately. Dean stroked Castiel once with his thumb. His expression, however, showed something between nervousness and careful determination.

Before Castiel had time to fully process what was happening, Dean closed the gap between them.

It took Castiel a moment, but he closed his eyes, sinking into the soft kiss. It was over as quickly as it had started. Castiel caught himself letting out a slight whine as Dean pulled away. Thankfully, his friend didn’t seem to notice.

Dean’s face was flushed. “That okay?” he asked quietly.

Castiel found his mouth hanging open, not a word coming out. His mind was blank, as if it had been overtaken by a blinding white light.

Dean pulled away further. “Shit, I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have done that. Fuck. Sorry, Cas. I’ll try to learn some boundaries.” Dean had on a half smile, although it was devoid of any sort of enthusiasm.

“N- no…” Castiel managed to stutter. Dazed as he was, nothing else seemed to come out. Castiel let out a sigh and pulled Dean back in closer, pressing their lips together once again.

This time, the kiss drew out for more than just a fleeting moment.

When Castiel did decide the pull back, however, he was smiling wide. Dean appeared to be the dazed one, this time.

“Cas…”

Castiel was chuckling, now. “I’m supposed to be the one who apologizes for nothing, am I not?”

Dean began to laugh, turning his neck so that his face was pressed into the pillow. He quickly looked back at Castiel.

“So you had no problem with that? Seriously?”

Castiel gave a toothy grin. “No, of course not, Dean. Although I do have a problem with how long you waited to do that.”

“Well,” Dean said. “I’ll have you know, I’ve been planning that for a long time. A long, long time.”

“Really?”

Dean chuckled, pulling Castiel in closer. “Yeah, ‘course. Sorta tried to push it to the back of my mind until you started sleeping in here. Seemed like a miracle at first, but it also made me nervous as hell. I knew I’d end up trying somethin’ eventually, and that scared me.”

Castiel reached up to run a hand through Dean’s short hair. “You were scared of how I would respond?”

“Yeah. Seriously, I thought you’d kick me out or something,” Dean said.

Castiel grinned. “I would never do that.”

“So,” Dean said. “You wanna… finally put a label on this? Or we could just go with it - whatever you want.”

Castiel frowned for a moment, falling into thought. “I suppose we could label it, yes,” he responded.

“Awesome. So, what? You’re my… boyfriend? That work? Sorry, it’s just that I’ve never been with a guy before. I’m not exactly up to date with terminology.”

Castiel chuckled against Dean. “Mmm, yes, that works,” he said. “Dean?”

Dean pulled back just enough to look Castiel in the eyes. “Yeah, Cas?”

“I’m going to start calling this my room now,” Castiel deadpanned.

“Okay then,” Dean said, smiling. “But I gotta challenge you on that.”

Castiel furrowed his brow. “How so?”

“It’s our room now.”


End file.
